To Win Her Heart
by Vanie
Summary: An interschool Quidditch tournament brings students from around the world to Hogwarts, and all the boys seem to be falling for Hermione Granger. Who will finally win her heart? We hear nice guys finish last. Luckily, Draco Malfoy is NOT a nice guy.
1. Brighter Than Sunshine

**Author's Note:** I was about to fall asleep at three o'clock in the morning, when this idea suddenly came into my mind, and I just _had_ to write it right away. My poor body, I really must catch up on my sleep debt. This story is AU, and none of the events in HBP and DH take place. So I hope you enjoy reading this! Reviews would be lovely.

**Disclaimer: **Everything belongs to the lovely J.K. Rowling, not me.

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**To Win Her Heart**

**Chapter One – Brighter Than Sunshine**

"Students, if I may have your attention!" the Hogwarts Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore stood at the podium as the feast disappeared from each table in the Great Hall. "This year, Hogwarts has the great honor of hosting a new event created by the United Wizarding Nations to improve international relations. The International Interschool Quidditch Tournament." excited gasps and murmurs were heard around the Great Hall.

"Did you hear that, Harry?" Ron whispered with wide eyes. "Quidditch!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. She had to admit, it sounded fascinating. She couldn't help but feel a tinge of worry, though. The last time something of the sort was held at their school, Cedric Diggory had been murdered. Her face paled just at the thought. But then again, Quidditch was much safer than what the champions had to go through in the Triwizard Tournament. There was no such thing as a peaceful year at Hogwarts, and something told her that her sixth year would be nothing less than insane. Whatever troubles they experienced, they always seemed to overcome every obstacle that blocked their path. They were the beloved Golden Trio, after all.

Her chocolate eyes momentarily flickered to the Slytherin table, and they locked with a pair of silver ones. _He_ was staring at her. It would have surprised her if she hadn't caught him doing it so many times before.

Ever since that day in their third year when she had lost her temper and slapped him, he would stare at her. In the Great Hall, during classes, when they were walking in the corridor, she would always feel his cold eyes on her. It unnerved her greatly at first, but after a few months, she had gotten used to it. His gaze, once so intimidating and void of all emotion, was replaced by something completely undecipherable. But Hermione simply couldn't place the expression, because it was one she had never seen Draco convey before.

"The tournament includes the ten largest magical schools across the globe. Durmstrang Institute in Kirovsk, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in Marseilles, The Salem Witches Institute in Salem, Diederich's School for Wizards in Dresden, Hong Long Institute in Xi'an, The Rinascimento Academy of Sorcery in Florence, Magia Real School in Santiago de Compostela, Kin Arcane Academy in Nikko, The Bhatta School in Vadodara, The New Luxor School of Magic in Luxor, and finally, our very own Hogwarts. Our guests will be arriving next week." the voice level in the Great Hall grew even higher as Dumbledore announced this.

"How can he remember all those names?" Ron questioned. Harry merely shrugged as he was obviously too preoccupied with what Dumbledore was saying.

"This tournament will take place throughout the school year and end in May. Tryouts for the Hogwarts team will be held this Friday by Madam Hooch. Please sign your name on the board in the Entrance Hall if you wish to tryout. Now, I'd like to remind all students that the Forbidden Forest is off limits unless accompanied by a teacher. You may all return to your common rooms. Have a good night, students!" he left the podium. In an instant, almost every single male student present rushed to the Entrance Hall, pushing and shoving everyone in their way. Hermione rolled her eyes as she saw her best friends join the horde.

Unlike the majority of things in the Wizarding World, she never grasped the concept of Quidditch. She wasn't one for sports, although when she was young she used to do intensive gymnastics. Her coach, Mr. Williams, had told Vivian Granger that her daughter had been blessed with litheness and grace that he had ever imagined possible for a ten-year-old, but Mrs. Granger stuck to her decision of pulling her daughter out so she could focus on her academics more. So focus on her academics she did. However, gymnastics had always remained Hermione's clandestine passion, and when she returned from Hogwarts each summer, she would take up classes with Mr. Williams again without her mother's knowledge. Nobody knew about her passion, not even Harry and Ron. She did gymnastics when she felt she had to escape from the rest of the world, and it felt better knowing that it was her little secret.

"_Grangers are scholars, not gymnasts." her mom would always tell her._

"I don't really care about the Quidditch. What I'm more excited about is the students coming!" Parvati suddenly popped up next to her. "I heard the boys from the Rinascimento Academy are _absolutely_ gorgeous."

"It's true." Lavender appeared on Hermione's other side. "My neighbor dated one of them before, and he was just perfect!"

"Even more perfect than Draco Malfoy?" Parvati's eyes lingered on the flaxen-haired Slytherin who was heading towards the door. The other students parted like the Red Sea for him in fear of being pounded by Crabbe and Goyle, his brainless cronies.

"Alright, maybe not. Nobody's as perfect as Malfoy." Lavender sighed dreamily.

"Oh, that's just vile." Hermione cringed.

"Come on, Hermione, admit it! Malfoy is orgasmic."

"I will do no such thing! He's a disgusting git. And perhaps you've forgot he's also a Slytherin?"

"Alright, just ignore all that. If you had just met Malfoy, you'd find him hot, wouldn't you?" Lavender asked.

Hermione thought about this, 'Well, he _does_ have nice eyes. And he had such a perfect face, and his body—OH MY GOD! Hermione Granger, you did _not_ just think that!'

"No."

"_No?_"

"No."

"Hermione, I think you might be crazy." Parvati teased.

"Tell me something I don't know." Hermione laughed. They finally squeezed out of the Great Hall, and found the whole male population of Hogwarts crowding around a board, waiting to sign up.

"Boys." Parvati shook her head disapprovingly. "Do they ever think about anything apart from Quidditch and sex?"

"Food." Hermione pointed out. The two other girls nodded in agreement.

"Let's go to our dorm." Lavender grabbed Hermione and Parvati's hands before pulling them up the staircase. "I've missed it so much!"

They rushed up several flights of stairs and managed to reach the portrait of the Fat Lady before any of the other Gryffindors, who were probably too busy in the Entrance Hall observing the students who signed up for the tournament.

"Fwooper." Hermione spoke, and the Fat Lady swung aside.

"_That's_ the new password?" Parvati shook her head in disapproval as they climbed through the portrait hole one by one. "Who chooses them anyway?"

"I don't actually know." Hermione frowned. It bugged her that she couldn't answer Parvati's simple question. They climbed the staircase that led to the girls' dormitories. Near the end of the corridor was a door, which with the number six on its doorplate. Parvati swung open the door and they rushed into their dormitory.

"Home sweet home!" Parvati squealed and jumped on the bed furthest away from the door. She always claimed the same bed every year, because if someone came in, there was a smaller chance she would be the one they disturbed.

"Oh, so tell me about your holiday!" Lavender slapped Hermione's arm excitedly before she sat on the bed next to Parvati's.

"Well, it was quite dull, actually. Didn't do much but stay home. I spent the last week at the Burrow though, and that was fun." Most of it was true. Staying at the Burrow with the Weasleys and Harry was always fun. Fred and George teased and flirted with her whenever they could, which she found a bit unusual but she knew they were just fooling around. It was when Charlie started doing the same that she began feeling very confused. As far as Hermione knew, the second oldest Weasley son didn't like fooling around when it came to things like that. In fact, the three Weasley brothers weren't the only ones who suddenly took an interest in her. While in London, countless men had wolf-whistled at her or used pathetic pick up lines in an attempt to get her phone number. She turned them all down, even though she felt very flattered.

"You should have went to Australia with us!" Lavender said. "We had the most amazing time, didn't we, Pav?"

"Those Australian boys are so yummy." Parvati looked like she was about to drool. Hermione laughed and rolled her eyes. Some things just didn't change around Hogwarts. They spent the rest of the night talking about the holiday and rummaging through each other's trunks to see what clothes they had brought. Hermione wasn't sure why, but she had almost as fun with them as she usually did with Harry and Ron. Perhaps she was turning a bit girlier? The thought of makeup and dresses and pretty accessories didn't repulse her anymore.

After several hours passed, the three Gyffindor girls finally changed into their pajamas and got into bed. Hermione fell asleep moments after her head hit the soft pillow.

Hermione was the first to wake up, as she always was. She took out her uniform and her toiletries from her trunk and went into their shared bathroom. She took a relaxing shower before drying her wild hair and putting on her white button up shirt, black pleated skirt and scarlet and gold tie. She examined herself in the mirror.

Her skirts had faded slightly in color and gotten far too short for her after years of use. She never realized how tall she had grown over the years until now. Her breasts on the other hand… she had noticed her shirt was too tight for her back in her fourth year, when Ron's eyes tended to stray to her chest when she was talking to him. It was then that she opted for a looser shirt. Ron was not too happy about that. She wasn't sure why she had big boobs, unlike other gymnasts, but she assumed it was because she didn't train competitively like they did. And now here she stood, in her baggy shirt and her tiny skirt. She slipped on her black tights and put a red headband on her head.

Hermione put on some strawberry flavored lip-gloss and went back to her dorm, where Lavender and Parvati were still sleeping soundly. Hermione slipped on her black ballet flats. Her mom had bought her a new pair of shoes, oxford heels to be exact, because she thought they would be "more appropriate for a young lady to wear at school". Hermione disagreed with this, and even though she had to admit the heels were cute and Lavender almost fainted of excitement when she saw them the night before, she preferred shoes that she could actually _walk_ in.

"Rise and shine!" Hermione opened the window curtains, allowing the piercing sunlight to shine in her dorm mates' eyes.

"Hermione!" Lavender whined, rolling in her bed.

"No, get up. Both of you." Hermione pulled their covers down, causing them to groan. "You don't want to be late, do you?"

"Fine, I'm up!" Parvati rubbed her eyes and made her way to the bathroom sleepily.

Hermione collected her things and slung her bag over one shoulder. She went down to the empty common room, and climbed out of the portrait hole. The corridors were quiet, and she was surprised to find both Harry and Ron at the Gryffindor table when she entered the Great Hall.

"Morning." the two boys greeted her in unison.

"Good morning." she sat next to Harry. "You boys are up early today."

"Neville accidentally set a dungbomb off." Ron grumbled, stabbing his sausage rather violently.

"How lovely." Hermione said sarcastically. She turned to Harry, who was staring at her. "What?"

"Nothing." Harry smiled. "You look really pretty today, Mione."

"Thank you, Harry." she returned the smile, flashing her pearly whites. Ron eyed both of them suspiciously, but decided to shrug it off. They finished their breakfast and received their post from the owls. By this time, almost every single student and teacher was in the Great Hall. After, Professor McGonagall made her way through the Gryffindor table, sorting out timetables. She

"Ahh, Miss Granger." Professor McGonagall gave her a rare smile as Hermione handed her application to her. "Well, you received remarkable results for your O.W.L.s! You can continue with any subject you please. I've very glad you will be returning to my class, Miss Granger." she tapped Hermione's blank timetable with her wand and it filled itself with the correct classes. "Now off you go to Ancient Runes."

"Thank you, Professor." Hermione smiled, took her timetable and waved to Harry and Ron before heading off to Ancient Runes. This was going to be a good year, she just _knew_ it.


	2. Believe Me, I'm Lying

**Author's Note:** My brother's getting married on Saturday, I'm so excited! I'm a bridesmaid, which means I'll be very busy until the wedding's over. Thank you to those who read and reviewed my one-shot. I'm really glad about the number of hits it got! Anyway, when you read this chapter, you'll see that Lupin is back! I love him too much to leave him out of this story. We'll just pretend that the curse on the Defence Against the Dark Arts position is one that only allows the teacher to teach no more than one year in a row. There won't be that much Draco-Hermione interaction in this chapter because I'm sure you all know how it goes; exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, blah, blah, blah… enjoy the chapter!

**The wonderful reviewers:** , Jadalia, BroadwayNightOwl, SgtSnarky, Green Flames, mikenewtonislove, love from a muggle, AyMee.x, ASHLEY H., teekim17, shell, I'm home, Saku-Chan9876, kk1999 and uknowho.

**SgtSnarky:** Thank you for pointing out my embarrassing mistake! As you can probably tell, I'm very forgetful. And yes, lots of girls signed up too! You'll be seeing lots of girl power on the team later on.

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**Chapter Two – Believe Me, I'm Lying**

Hermione entered her Ancient Runes classroom and was greeted happily by Professor Babbling. Four other students were there. Ernie Macmillan, Terry Boot, Theodore Nott and Draco Malfoy. Hermione frowned slightly when she saw the blond Slytherin. He was staring at her with his intense gaze once again and she quickly turned away.

"Miss Granger, why don't you sit next to Mr. Macmillan and Mr. Boot? We're working on a group translation," Professor Babbling said. Hermione nodded and sat down with her assigned partners. She was glad that Professor Babbling didn't make her work with the Slytherins. But then again, she wouldn't let Hermione suffer. All her teachers adored her. Except for Professor Snape, that is, but he just despised all students apart from his dear Slytherins.

"Good morning, Hermione," Ernie greeted her. "Good to see you back in Ancient Runes."

"You too, Ernie." Hermione smiled as she took out her books and parchment.

"What'd you think about the whole IIQT?" Terry asked.

"The International Interschool Quidditch Tournament?"

"Yeah. Sounds cool, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it'll be fun to meet students from other schools."

"I've signed up for it."

"You play Quidditch? I didn't know that," Hermione said while keeping her eyes on the runes they were supposed to translate.

"I'm not amazing, mind you, but I do play," Terry said. "Besides, almost everybody's signed up. Even those who don't really play."

"Why?"

"For the glory, of course," Terry explained with a smile. Hermione shook her head. Sometimes, she really could not understand the male species. The rest of the lesson sped by quickly, even though she had to do most of the work herself due to her two partners not being able to do anything but talk about the upcoming Quidditch Tournament. She never understood why the game was so compelling. Flying on a broom was one of her biggest fears, apart from Lord Voldemort. It wasn't the height, but just the idea of sitting in midair on a thin stick with a mind of its own that freaked her out. She was actually a decent flier. Not that she let anybody know. She just pretended she was horrible on a broomstick so nobody would ever force her to fly on one. She couldn't reveal her fear—Gryffindors were brave. They weren't supposed to be scared of wooden sticks with broomcorn sticking out the end! Hermione let out a sigh of relief as the bell rang and neatly packed away her things.

"Good lesson, students, good lesson! We'll continue this next lesson!" Professor Babbling beamed at her class.

"Do you have Potions now, Hermione?" Terry asked.

"Yes." Hermione checked her timetable. "Oh, how delightful. A full hour with our favorite Slytherin professor."

"Well, at least Lupin's our Defence professor again this year," Terry pointed out as they exited the classroom.

"That's true. I can't wait for Defence!" Hermione smiled. After much persuasion from Dumbledore, Remus Lupin had agreed to return to his post as the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. The Board of Governors had eagerly agreed to it, knowing that Lupin was the most competent teacher the school had had in many years. Once the Golden Trio had heard the news, they had flooed from the Burrow to 12 Grimmauld Place, where Lupin was temporarily residing, and attacked him with vicious hugs.

Lost in her thoughts, Hermione failed to realize she was approaching something hard until she bumped into it. It was Draco Malfoy.

"Watch it, Mudblood," Draco hissed, pretending to brush her "filth" off his uniform.

"Don't you dare call her that, Malfoy." Terry glared at the Slytherin.

"I'll call her whatever I damn well please, Boot." Draco smirked and turned back to Hermione. "See you later, Mudblood."

Draco and Blaise walked away, leaving Hermione fuming. That ferret! It may have been many years, but the word still hurt every time it came out of his mouth. Mudblood. Draco's father had been imprisoned in Azkaban after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, and since then, Narcissa Malfoy had not once stepped out of the Malfoy Manor. Rita Skeeter made it her duty to pry around the manor grounds, trying desperately to catch a glimpse of the beautiful elitist witch herself. Rita penned her constant failures in her Daily Prophet column, blaming Narcissa's "selfish and volatile son" for kicking her off their property time and time again. Hermione couldn't blame him for doing so. Nobody knew what had happened to the Malfoys, although it was confirmed that the new Minister for Magic himself, Rufus Scrimgeour, visited the Malfoy Manor shortly after Lucius' imprisonment while accompanied by a group of Aurors.

"What a git," Terry muttered.

"C'mon, Hermione. We don't want to be late for Potions," Ernie pointed out. They walked to their classroom in the dungeons, and once they walked in, Hermione's face fell. The other students already there were Michael Corner, Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott and Hermione's two best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Where were all the other girls?! It was simply… _degrading_. They probably opted to continue with Divination. Oh, how Hermione despised the subject. And the professor.

"Hermione, come sit next to us!" Ron waved cheerfully to her.

"Can I sit with you, Hermione?" Ernie asked her hopefully.

"Yeah, of course," she nodded. They took their seat at a desk next to Harry and Ron's. Hermione looked around to observe the classroom, only to find Draco Malfoy staring directly at her.

'There is something seriously wrong with that boy.' Hermione thought before turning back to Ernie, who was asking her a question about potion ingredients.

"We had a free period," Ron grinned, "and we have one after lunch too!"

"Are you two down for all the same classes?" Hermione asked. Harry and Ron both nodded enthusiastically. "I should have known," she muttered. While her two best friends were joined at the hip, Hermione… well, wasn't. In her earlier years, she clung to them like a leech, but lately she found that she enjoyed spending more time with her other friends too. Harry and Ron were still her best friends, and they would always be, but it wasn't like she could talk to them about some of her problems. She didn't think they would know what potion to take to get rid of her period pains.

The doors swung open and a man with a prominent nose and greasy black hair stormed in. He cast a cold look over his students before shouting, "Draught of the Living Death. Now!"

Hermione took out her copy of _Advanced Potion-Making_ and quickly flipped to the page on which she had previously learnt how to make the potion while reading the book before the school year even began. While the rest of the class frantically scanned through their books to find the correct page, Hermione got up and went to the supply closet to collect the needed ingredients.

"Look at her," Blaise Zabini said as his eyes followed the Golden Gryffindor Girl as she crossed the classroom. "How the hell can she do everything so quickly?"

"She's a bookworm." Draco shrugged. "Where's Pansy? Is she skiving?"

"I heard something about her trying an engorging charm on her boobs and ending up in the hospital wing," the Italian boy snickered.

"Are you serious? Bloody hell, that girl is thick."

"Tell me something I don't know," Blaise agreed. They continued flicking through their copies of _Advanced Potion-Making_ slowly. "Who do you think will get into the IIQT?"

"Not sure." Draco shrugged. "To be honest, I think Pottyhead will be Seeker."

"Aren't you trying out for Seeker?"

"No. I'm trying out for Beater."

"Beater?" Blaise looked at his best friend in confusion. "But you're a Seeker."

"I'm aware of that, Blaise," Draco snapped. "My father was the one who wanted me to be a Seeker. Now that he's gone, I can do whatever the hell I want, can't I? Being a Beater's more interesting. You get to hurt people. The bloody Seeker doesn't do anything until the end of the game."

"Are you sure you can play Beater?"

"I know how to play Beater better than I do Seeker."

"Then you must be hell good." Blaise laughed. "You think Weasel will be picked as the Keeper?"

"No fucking way. Everyone knows Miles is the best Keeper in this school." Draco watched as Hermione stepped out of the supply closet, arms full of an array of ingredients. There she was, the most ridiculously confusing girl he had ever met. He had always hated her because she was a Mudblood. But the truth was, the first time his eleven-year-old self saw her on the Hogwarts Express, he thought she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen. When she found out she was Muggle-born, he was disappointed. When she began hanging out with Harry and Ron… that was when he started to despise her. Even though she was pretty, she was also a Mudblood, and Draco accepted the fact easily. However, as time passed on, she became prettier and prettier, and in the beginning of their third year Draco had almost had a heart attack when he saw her. He tried to keep his silly crush a secret, but Blaise knew better.

"_Mate, you annoy her cause you like her," Blaise once said. "I don't see you paying attention to any of the other Muggle-born Gryffindors."_

Naturally, he denied it, and cursed at his best friend repeatedly. It was when Hermione slapped him across the face when he first felt like his head would implode if he couldn't have her. And no, he was not into S&M. But when her hand made contact with his face, he could feel fire. Not just the burn from the pain of her slap, but something else that felt like nothing else he had ever experienced. Draco Malfoy knew exactly what it was. Lust. He wanted her. He _really_ wanted her. But being the conceited Pure-blood that he was, he didn't do anything about it. Well, he did… in private when he was alone in his dormitory.

"Mr. Malfoy, get on with your potion," Snape ordered before continuing with observing other students.

"Wanker," Draco muttered under his breath. He was quite surprised that the Potions master would talk to him in such a way. "He usually let's me do whatever I want."

Blaise chuckled at his friend's immaturity and said, "Maybe he doesn't think you're that important anymore."

"Not important? Maybe you're forgetting, but my name's even in the bleeding school motto."

"Oh yes, how could I forget." Blaise rolled his eyes. He coincidentally flipped to the page with the instructions for the Draught of the Living Death. "Great, I found it. Come on, let's start on the bloody potion."

When Draco was halfway complete with his potion, the bell rang, signifying the end of Potions.

"Finally," Blaise sighed as he packed up his things. "I need a smoke."

"Same," Draco agreed. They began to file out Snape's classroom, and Draco couldn't help but feel a little mischievous. He deliberately bumped into Hermione as he walked out the door. "I thought I told you to watch it, Mudblood," he sneered.

"You were the one who bumped into me, ferret!" Hermione retorted, crossing her arms.

"I'm careful enough not to touch filth." Draco smirked. "I know I'm perfect and all, but you don't have to be all over me."

"Don't be so full of yourself, Malfoy." Harry glared at the Slytherin before wrapping his arm protectively around Hermione. Draco felt a tinge of jealousy. "C'mon, Mione. Let's go." Harry led her away, and Ron gave Draco a look of pure loathing before he followed his two best friends. Draco turned to Blaise, only to find he was smirking.

"What?" Draco demanded.

"Oh, nothing," Blaise said, but the smirk stayed in place. "Just thinking about how you fancy Granger."

"I do not-"

"Draco, mate, I'm your best friend. You can't keep things from me," Blaise said. "You should know that by now."

Draco remained silent for a second before saying, "And if I did?"

"If you did what?"

"If I did fancy Granger, hypothetically, what would you think?"

"I would disapprove. At first, anyway. You know I don't care that much about blood status, but she's a bloody Gryffindor. I'd think you were mental," Blaise said. "Hypothetically, of course." he gave Draco a signature Slytherin smirk before walking off, not waiting for his best friend.

"Right," Draco said, watching as Blaise left. "It's hypothetical."

Oh, Draco Malfoy, you can't fool yourself.


	3. The Boys Are Too Refined

**Author's Note:** Sorry this update took a while! I hope I'll be able to update more frequently. I don't know why I'm awake at this ungodly hour but I can't sleep so I thought I might as well post a new chapter. Please review! Reviews make my day, they really do. Well, I don't want to bore you and I doubt many of you are even reading this, so I'll just continue on…

**The beautiful reviewers:** Nangini, kk1999, Saku-Chan9876, NotSoSlightlyCrazy, mikenewtonislove, teekim17, krissie92, veranatalie.

**teekim17:** Oh, I can't believe I made that silly mistake! Thank you for pointing that out.

**veranatalie:** Thank you for the suggestion, but I'm afraid I'm not sure what you mean by developing Hermione's thoughts. Could you be a bit for specific? How do you think I can develop them? Love that you're trying to help me out, so thanks!

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**Chapter Three – The Boys Are Too Refined**

The next few days passed as a blur to Hermione, who was so busy with homework and studying that she did not get caught up in the IIQT craze like the rest of her fellow students. Students that had signed up for the tournament were spending almost every moment of their spare time practicing on the Quidditch pitch, which was so crowded most of the time that students could barely fly around without bumping into each other. Friday soon arrived, and Dumbledore cancelled lessons for the day so other students could come and support those who were trying out for the team.

Hermione woke to the excited and shrill screams of Lavender and Parvati, who were completely ecstatic about watching the tryouts.

"Oh, be quiet!" Hermione snapped and rolled over in her bed.

"Get up, Mione! Quidditch tryouts start after breakfast!" Lavender tugged at her leg.

"I don't care!" Hermione whined. She was going to use this opportunity to practice her gymnastics while Lavender and Parvati were gone.

"You don't _care_? Harry and Ron are trying out!" Parvati stood by her bed. Hermione immediately sat up immediately.

'Oh, right.' Hermione thought. 'Terrific! Now I have to go.'

"That's right, get up. Since you're the last to wake up, we get to use the bathroom fir-" Parvati was cut short as Hermione pushed past her and rushed to the bathroom before her other two roommates had a chance to react. Hermione slammed the door shut and locked it. "Hermione! That's cheating!" she heard Parvati's muffled shout of outrage on the other side of the door.

After a refreshing shower, Hermione walked out of the bathroom in her robe only to find Lavender and Parvati with their arms crossed.

"You cheated, Hermione." Lavender gave her a fake look of anger as she made her way to the bathroom. "Now I have to rush with washing my hair!"

"I'm so sorry, girls." Hermione took her clothes out of the trunk and began getting dressed.

"Sorry my arse!" Parvati hit her on the back of the head, causing Hermione to glare at her. "I have to look good today!"

"Ooh, does Parvati like someone?" Hermione teased her as she slipped on a pair of shorts.

"Maybe…" the Indian girl blushed slightly and looked away.

"You do!"

"Oh, alright, I do!"

"Who is it then?" Hermione put on a thick red hoodie that she thought would be fitting to support the Gryffindors that were trying out.

"It's… Dean."

"Dean?" Hermione blinked. "I would've never guessed."

"He's just so cute. And funny!" Parvati giggled.

"And taken," Hermione pointed out. Dean Thomas and Ginny had been dating since the end of the previous school year. They were an unexpected couple, but they seemed quite happy with each other. As usual, Ron disapproved of their relationship and took to constantly threatening Dean until Harry and Hermione managed to discourage him from doing so.

"I know, I know." Parvati huffed. "But it's not a crime to fancy a boy who's taken."

"But you can't go after him or anything," Hermione said. "Ginny really likes him."

"She doesn't _really_. You can tell she likes Harry."

"Even if she did, it's not important." Hermione brushed her long hair thoroughly. She didn't want to admit that Ginny liked Harry, but she didn't want to lie to Parvati either. It was true; Ginny did have a big crush on Harry. A _very_ big crush. But Hermione had advised her to see other people since Harry didn't show any interest in her romantically. "Ginny's dating Dean now."

"You're right." Parvati sighed unhappily. "I'll just wait."

"Who says you need to wait?"

"What do you mean?" she blinked.

Hermione smiled at her roommate, "I heard from a very reliable source that Terry Boot fancies you." the reliable source being herself, of course. She had overheard Terry Boot telling Michael Corner that he was considering asking Parvati out on a date.

"Really?" her brown eyes brightened. "Does he really, Hermione?"

"Yes!" Hermione nodded.

"He's quite good-looking, isn't he? And he's really smart. Thank you, Hermione!" Parvati hugged her. "Oh, guess who likes you? It's a rather long list, actually."

"I highly doubt that." Hermione snorted.

"Don't say that! A lot of boys fancy you. You're just… sort of intimidating?"

"Intimidating?" Hermione laughed. She didn't understand how on earth anyone could think she was _intimidating_. She was friendly. And polite!

"They're afraid if they ask you out, you might try to bite their heads off." Parvati tried to explain.

"You can't be serious, Parvati."

"I am, Mione. Dead serious."

"Really? So who are these boys that fancy me?" Hermione questioned.

"I know for a fact that Seamus has liked you for a while. And Neville-"

"Neville asked me out two years ago." Hermione cut in. "So he can't be intimidated by me, can he?"

"Well, just let me finish! There's Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Anthony Goldstein, Cormac McLaggen and Jeremy Stretton. Is that it? I think it is-"

"Are you telling me that you think all those boys like me? That's completely impossible, Parvati, and you know it," Hermione said just as Lavender walked out of the bathroom in a pretty dress and her hair soaking wet.

"What are we talking about?" Lavender asked.

"Hermione thinks it's impossible for boys to like her." Parvati informed her.

"Oh, lots of boys do." the blonde nodded while drying her hair. "Jeremy Stretton does. You know, that fit Ravenclaw who's on their Quidditch team."

"Right?" Parvati nodded and turned back to Hermione. "See, Hermione?"

"You're both mental." Hermione rolled her eyes. In her mind, it seemed very unlikely that a handsome seventh year like Jeremy Stretton would even taking a second glance at her. "Parvati, just shut up and go take a shower."

Parvati gave her a small smile before going to the bathroom. Hermione sighed as she watched Lavender attempt to dry her hair with her towel. She took out her wand and tapped Lavender's hair with it, drying her locks immediately.

"Thank you, Mione!" Lavender beamed. "How can I live without you?"

"You can't," Hermione joked. Soon the three roommates made their way down to the Great Hall. As they entered, Hermione's eyes fell on Jeremy Stretton. It was the first time she had really paid attention to the Ravenclaw, but she wanted to see if there were any signs that he did like her. Sure enough, Jeremy's eyes locked with hers for a moment before he smiled slightly and turned back to his friends.

'Was he… blushing? I must be imagining things.' Hermione brushed the thought away and sat down next to Harry and Ron, who were already downing their breakfast with their Quidditch uniform on and their brooms lying on the empty space beside them.

"Hello, boys." Hermione smiled.

"Morning, Mione," Harry said. Ron was having difficulty swallowing his food, so he merely waved at her.

"You both ready for the tryouts?" Hermione asked.

"Not really." Harry started playing with his bacon. "You know they're going to pick a captain, too? What if Malfoy or someone becomes captain?"

"You're a much better Seeker than Malfoy!" she assured him. "If anyone's going to be captain, it's going to be you."

"McGonagall told me if the tournament wasn't on this year, I would've been captain for Gryffindor."

"That's great, Harry. You see? You're captain material," Hermione said. They spent the rest of breakfast discussing the IIQT, as was the rest of the school, and everybody made their way down to the Quidditch pitch after.

"Hi!" Ginny popped up next to Hermione as they walked to the pitch.

"Hi, Gin." Hermione smiled back. Her eyes landed on the broomstick in the younger girl's hand. "You didn't…"

"I signed up for the IIQT." Ginny grinned.

"Oh no, not you too." Hermione groaned. Then again, she should've known. Ginny was easily a very talented Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and one of the most entertaining players to watch on the pitch when she lost her temper.

"It's an amazing opportunity, Mione!"

"I'm sure it is, I just don't think Quidditch is that incredible."

"Hermione, you stop talking right now," Ron said, feigning outrage. Suddenly, Seamus and Dean appeared next to them.

"You know what I just realized, Ginny?" Seamus said to the redheaded girl. "Your first name and McGonagall's are almost the same. Ginevra, Minerva…"

"Shut up, Seamus!" Ginny turned red, obviously not like the fact that he had just found something similar between her and the elderly Transfiguration professor. Seamus began to run out of fear of being hexed and Ginny chased after him, waving her broom around and shouting threats at him. The students around them began to laugh at the amusing scene.

"Hey, Bambi." Dean smiled at Hermione.

"Will you stop calling me that?" Hermione glared at him. She didn't appreciate being compared to a fictional deer.

"But it's true, you have his eyes."

"Who's Bambi?" Ron asked.

"It's a Muggle thing," Hermione said, thinking it was too difficult to explain to a wizard like Ron.

"Merlin, I'm nervous," Ron said in a whisper as they drew closer to the pitch.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do great." Hermione squeezed his hand reassuringly. "You both will."

"Of course _Harry_ will. I'll mess up, I know I will!" Ron said loudly.

"Glad you're aware of that, Weasel." the obnoxious voice of Draco Malfoy said from behind them. The Gryffindors turned around to face the blond Slytherin, who was walking with Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott. Draco's eyes flickered to Hermione for a second. "You might as well save yourself the embarrassment and not try out."

"Why, are you scared I'll make it and you won't?" Ron snarled at him.

"Not in the least," Draco said coolly. The three Slytherins quickened their pace and as they passed, Hermione caught Draco's signature scent of amber musk cologne and cigarette smoke. Hermione frowned as she watched the back of Draco's head. There was something very unusual about those three Slytherin boys. They were all handsome, intelligent and possessed far too much grace and poise than any male should. Perhaps it was due to their aristocratic pure-blood upbringing.

Theodore Nott was quite tall, but he looked almost short compared to the other two. He had curly black hair and brown eyes. His extremely thin stature and his androgynous face made him look just like the kind of models you would see on the ads of Muggle designer labels. He possessed an appealing mixture of bad boy and good boy energy that attracted positive attention from the opposite sex, no matter how hard he tried to blend into the background. Hermione had been forced to work with him for an Arithmancy project, and found that he wasn't all that unpleasant. He had revealed to her in an intense moment that when he was eight, he had watched with his own eyes as his mother was killed due to his father's foolish career as a Death Eater, and pledged then and there that he would never follow down the same career path. Hermione felt extremely touched that a Slytherin would trust her with such a secret, and she promised him that she would take it to her grave. However, for some strange reason, Hermione and Theodore stopped communicating with each other once their project had ended. She thought it was quite a shame, seeing as Theodore was one of very few people she had been able to converse with intellectually.

Blaise Zabini was lanky and his skin was perfectly bronze. His dark brown hair was always shaggy and tousled, and he only ever got it cut when it was necessary. He had vivid dark blue eyes that never failed to enchant girls wherever he went. His charm even worked on older women, and he had used it to convince Madam Pince into letting him borrow a book from the Restricted Section. He was perhaps the most charming and sophisticated male out of the entire Hogwarts population. It was widely believed that he had inherited his mother's unparalleled allure and her undeniable good looks. He was always polite to everyone, but he tended to avoid interaction with Gryffindors in order to avoid any conflict, which Hermione personally thought was wise of him. If only Draco would do the same…

Draco Malfoy was the obvious leader of their group. With his perfect facial features and his muscular but lean body, he was considered by many to be the best looking boy in Hogwarts. His hair was a rare shade of platinum blond, even lighter than his father's, and his eyes were a piercing grey with brilliant swirls of sky blue. He had ghostly fair and flawless skin that even years of Quidditch could not tan at all. Bred by his overprotective and submissive mother and his father who had impossibly high expectations for him but cared for him nonetheless, his whole life had been planned out from the moment Narcissa announced to her husband that she was with child.

"I think I'm going to puke," Ron muttered once they reached the Quidditch pitch, which was already packed with students.

"Just take a deep breath, Ron. You'll be fine, I promise." well, she hoped.


	4. Shine

**Author's Note:** I haven't updated in almost a month! So sorry, everyone. I've been lazy lately. I won't deny it. From now on I will try to update more, I really will. Loved the reviews. Thank you all so much!

**The amazing reviewers:** Nangini, Saku-Chan9876, POM-frenchreader, kk1999, cataloo456, krissie92, veranatalie, ABC123, Belleindigo, teekim17, .xXx, genderless-but straight, AsHtIsDaLe21, Dragonflame a.k.a ShadX.

**veranatalie:** Ah, thank you! I'm so glad I caught on to what you were trying to say. Yes, you did get the hint. That will come in later in the story. Thank you for pointing that typo out! I can't believe I keep making all these mistakes. I've made one in every chapter so far! I hope there aren't any in this one, or I'll feel very very stupid. You're not annoying at all, you're extremely helpful. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Belleindigo:** I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the last chapter. I just wanted to do a bit of a filler so I wouldn't rush the story. Don't worry, it will get much more interesting as the story progresses!

* * *

**Chapter Four – Shine**

Hermione walked to the Great Hall with Harry and Ron after a whole day of watching Quidditch tryouts. Despite the fact she wasn't a big fan of the sport, the tryouts were undoubtedly interesting. She was shocked when Draco Malfoy decided to tryout as a Beater instead of a Seeker. It was a wise move, she had to admit. Even though Draco was a skilled Seeker, Harry had the most natural talent in the whole school. What shocked Hermione even more was the fact that Draco was probably as talented a Beater as Harry was a Seeker. Draco was incredibly strong and his aim was perfect. She knew for a fact he had secured his spot on the Hogwarts Quidditch team. Ron on the other hand…

"Hermione, I messed up," the redheaded boy muttered as he sat down at the Gryffindor table.

"No you didn't," she said as she sat down across her best friends.

"I couldn't save half those bloody goals!"

That silenced Hermione. Ron _had_ let his nerves get the best of him and it was clear he wasn't concentrating properly. The door swung open and Draco Malfoy strode in arrogantly, followed by a large group of Slytherins. As usual, Draco's sparkling eyes locked with hers for a moment before they both turned away. Hermione felt her skin break out in goosebumps.

"I can't believe Malfoy tried out for Beater," Harry said.

"I can't believe he's that good!" Ron cried. "He's always been a Seeker!"

"Did you see how he hits the Bludger?" Harry pushed up his glasses. "He's going to _kill_ someone on the pitch."

When Draco played as a Seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team, he always seemed almost bored during games. He was never the first to spot the Snitch, although he usually ended up catching it in the end anyway. But when he tried out as a Beater, he looked so… alive. There were no words to describe it. Hermione had never seen the bitter Slytherin act in such a way, and it warmed her heart a little as she watched him fly around on his new Firebolt broom.

"When are they announcing the team again?" Hermione asked.

"After dinner," both her best friends replied. Hermione had never seen them so nervous. And they had all been through _a lot_ throughout the years. Ron's fork shook every time he lifted in and Harry kept tapping on the table with his fingers. They remained quiet for the remainder of dinner, only speaking when spoken too. It seemed like an eternity before everyone finished their meal and Madam Hooch stood up in front of the Great Hall, holding a piece of parchment.

"This is it, Harry," Ron said quietly. "The most important moment of our lives."

Hermione smacked his arm in disapproval, "Ron!"

"Attention, students! After careful deliberation, we have finally chosen the Hogwarts Quidditch team that will participate in the IIQT. All of you did very well at the tryouts, and it was difficult to make the final selection. In addition to the seven players, we have also chosen six students to be part of the reserve team." Madam Hooch's voice rang through the room. Every single student paid his or her full attention to her. "I will first announce the students on the reserve team. The reserve Chasers are Randolph Burrow and Ginny Weasley."

Everyone clapped politely, but Ginny looked outraged that she was only chosen as a reserve player. Her face slowly turned the same color as her hair and she pursed her lips in pure annoyance and disappointment.

"The reserve Beaters are Jimmy Peakes and Duncan Inglebee," Madam Hooch said. There was more applause. "The reserve Keeper is Grant Page and the reserve Seeker is Cho Chang."

The pretty Asian girl blushed as everyone turned to the Ravenclaw table to look at her. She seemed quite ecstatic with the fact she had made it as a reserve. After all, everyone knew Harry was going to be the Seeker.

"Now, the official team," Madam Hooch announced. Everybody sat upright and held their breath. "The Chasers are Jeremy Stretton, Katie Bell and Dean Thomas."

The Gryffindor and Ravenclaw table both erupted into deafening applause. Katie, who was sitting next to Hermione, screamed at the top of her lungs and grabbed Hermione.

"Katie!" she gasped as she tried to pull away.

"Merlin! I'm on the team!" the older girl squealed happily, jumping up and down on her seat. The applause soon died down and everyone turned back to Madam Hooch.

"The Beaters are Draco Malfoy and Jason Samuels."

The Slytherins and Ravenclaws all went wild and all of Draco's friends congratulated him. Blaise clapped him on the back and cheered with the rest of his table. Draco merely smirked, as if he knew all along that he would make it on the team.

"The Keeper is Miles Bletchley," Madam Hooch continued. While the Slytherins celebrated once again, Ron looked completely devastated. Both Harry and Hermione exchanged looks before turning to him.

"Ron, I'm sorry." Hermione squeezed his hand.

"I… I didn't… I didn't even make the reserve team…"

"The Seeker and the Team Captain is Harry Potter."

The entire hall, except for the Slytherins, went insane. Ron seemed to have gotten over his distress and hugged Harry for all he was worth. The Gryffindors all crowded around the Boy Who Lived and took turns praising him.

"Harry, I knew you could do it!" Hermione leaned over the table and kissed him on the cheek.

"I can't believe it! I'm Captain!" Harry exclaimed. He jumped over the table so he could hug Hermione, knocking over a goblet of pumpkin juice in the process. "I'm Captain!"

Hermione looked over to the Slytherin table. None of them looked pleased, understandably. Draco looked absolutely livid. Using strength Hermione didn't know he had, he bent the fork he was holding. She made a mental note to herself not to anger him unless she had her wand ready.

Draco gritted his teeth. Becoming a Beater had made him so happy just a moment ago but now all his positive feelings had completely vanished. Harry was hugging Hermione like his life depended on it! It gave Draco the strangest feeling he had ever felt, and he wanted to hex Harry into oblivion more than ever before. Draco's ability to breathe waned as the two Gryffindors clung to each other and continued celebrating with the rest of their house. Harry Potter, the Boy Who Fucking Lived, and Hermione Granger. Hermione Granger, the only girl who had ever dared to slap him. She was a Mudblood, a Gryffindor, and everything that he had been taught to hate. But for some reason, his heart could never agree with his mind.

Sure, she was a complete pain in the arse, but so was Draco. He received the best grades in the year, second only to Hermione. They both were stubborn, quick-tempered and attractive. Yes, even Draco couldn't deny it. Hermione Granger was _attractive_. She had always been pretty, but in a conventional kind of way that grew boring after a while. However, each year she would return to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters after the summer holidays looking more and more stunning. Hermione was one of the tallest girls at Hogwarts, and she was very skinny. She had enormous chocolate eyes and a small, pretty nose. Her full lips were naturally red and her skin was perfect. Hermione had given up all hope on her honey brown hair that was untamable, but Draco had always thought it was her hair gave her a bit of an edgy, sexy look.

"Umm… Drake…" Blaise stared at the ruined fork.

"What?!" Draco snarled at him as he threw the fork on the table. The nearby Slytherins all turned their attention to him. "I'm going."

Draco stood up and left the Great Hall, ignoring Blaise and Theodore's calls of protest. He rushed to the Slytherin common room and up the stairs to his dormitory. Once he got there, he knocked his lamp off his bedside table and it smashed into countless pieces on the floor.

"Stupid Potter. Stupid Mudblood!" he muttered to himself. He heard a quiet tapping on the window and opened it with a flick of his wand. His majestic Eagle Owl, Thanatos, swooped in carrying a letter that Draco instantly recognized was from his mother. Draco's eyes widened and he untied the letter at top speed. He took a deep breath before opening the envelope…

_Draco,_

_How are you, my darling? I hope school is going well. I heard that a new event called the International Interschool Quidditch Tournament will be held at Hogwarts. How exciting! I'm sure you'll make the team. I went to St. Mungo's yesterday for another checkup. Healer Emerson said I'm doing better than he expected. Draco, please don't worry about me; I don't want to ruin your school year. I will be visiting Lucius in Azkaban tomorrow. Perhaps he can provide me with more answers. I'd appreciate it if you could write to me soon. Take care, darling._

_Love always,_

_Mother_

He saw straight through his mother's lies. She could lie brilliantly to the rest of the world; her family, her husband, the press, but she couldn't lie to her own son. Draco knew that his mother would never be truly healthy again. Her condition wasn't fatal, but it was incurable and enough to affect her for the rest of her life. All in all, Narcissa Malfoy was a liar. Almost all her life was a lie. She didn't agree with her pure-blood elitist family when she grew up, but she pretended to be prejudiced anyway because the thought of being disinherited was horrifying for a girl born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She didn't feel anything more than admiration for Lucius Malfoy, but she acted like she was madly in love with him so she could marry into his fortune like her parents wanted. She hated Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters, but she supported her husband when he joined them anyway in order to seem loyal to Lucius. The only part of her life that wasn't a lie was her son. The moment she gave birth to him, she finally felt what it was like to truly love someone. To care about them so much that you would willingly sacrifice yourself for them. Draco was the outcome of all the lies she had ever told in her life.

Draco got out a new piece of parchment and began writing. He wanted his mother to receive his letter as soon as possible, so he decided to keep it brief.

_Mother,_

_I'm fine. I made the team and I'm a Beater now. I don't want you around that bastard. After all he did, he doesn't deserve to have you in his presence. Don't go to Azkaban._

_Love,_

_Draco_

He quickly sent the letter off with Thanatos and collapsed on his bed with a sigh. After only a few minutes of silence, his disruptive roommates came up to the dormitory.

"What the fuck…" Blaise said when he noticed the broken lamp. He pulled out his wand. "_Reparo_."

"Draco?" Theodore walked towards the blond boy's bed. "What's wrong, mate?"

"Nothing," Draco said.

"Aren't you going to start your Astronomy project? You need to start recording data soon. It's going to take a month-"

"I don't care, Theo." Draco interrupted quickly.

"But-"

"Just because I'm named after a constellation, it doesn't mean I give a fuck about Astronomy." Draco growled.

"Fine then. Suit yourself." Theodore gave up and picked up his supplies. "We're going to the Astronomy Tower now."

As his two closest friends left, Draco heard Blaise say, "I hope none of the Gryffindors will be there…"

An image of Hermione suddenly appeared in his mind. She was so captivating. Then, an image of her hugging Harry took over and Draco felt that inexplicable feeling once again. He let out a loud groan.

He hated Gryffindors.


	5. Your Every Color

**Author's Note:** I keep saying I'll update more often, but I never do. I'm just really busy, guys. So sorry. And more Draco-Hermione interaction will come, don't you worry! Thank you all for support and reviews!

**The lovely reviewers:** Kaleigh Windelynn, darkcrystalwings, Tugboats, NotSoSlightlyCrazy, TreeHillLove23, Carsme Cullen, IndusLotus2001, padfootsnuffles, Christianna Rico, twaineeII, ShadX, teekim17, .xXx, crazey logic 13, kk1999, NightRaven511, veranatalie, xcess, Lady Arianne Of Ambers Valley, I'm home, Hermione GrangerRanger, C O O K i E x M O N S T E R, ccha.

**Kaleigh Windelynn:** My bad. I had wrote down the three Chasers in my draft, but I forgot to add the third in my final draft. Thank you for pointing that out!

**.xXx:** Yes, that's exactly why I made Draco a Beater! And I've never imagined Hermione to be tall, but there's a reason why I made her tall. I don't want to give too much away!

**NightRaven511:** Ahh, thank you so much! There are much better Dramione fics out there, but thank you for reviewing that. It made me so happy!

**veranatalie:** You didn't find any mistakes because I corrected them before you read it! There were lots actually. I should check my work more often before I post it. Tell me if you have any problems with this chapter at all, I always appreciate what you have to say!

* * *

**Chapter Five – Your Every Color**

Hermione couldn't breathe.

She tossed and turned in her bed, gasping for air until she woke up from her dream. She sat up and coughed loudly, trying to regulate her breathing. The dormitory was clouded with a substance that smelt like extremely strong chemicals and perfume.

"Are you trying to kill me?" Hermione glared at her two dorm mates. Parvati and Lavender both turned to face her, a can of hairspray in both their hands.

"Sorry Hermione, my hair just doesn't look right! We have to look good, students from all the other schools are coming today!" Lavender said, quickly glancing in the mirror.

"It looks fine! Now stop spraying that stuff everywhere!" Hermione shouted.

"But my hair—"

"I swear to God, Lavender, I will cast Aguamenti on your head and ruin your stupid hair!"

"Okay, I'm putting the can down!" Lavender said. She nudged Parvati, and the Indian girl instantly complied.

"Good." Hermione smiled, heading to the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower now."

Once Hermione closed the door, Lavender and Parvati resumed styling their hair with hairspray.

"She's a bit mental, isn't she?" Parvati said.

"It's probably just PMS," Lavender said.

After a quick shower, Hermione got dressed. She hadn't been feeling that good lately. Her roommates were getting on her nerves, Draco Malfoy just wouldn't leave her alone and she hadn't done any gymnastics since school started, which meant she couldn't relax. Lavender examined Hermione's face while twirling a tube of mascara in her hand, and Hermione ran out the room before the blonde suggested that she prettied herself up for all the incoming foreign boys.

"Morning," Hermione muttered to her best friends as she climbed down the staircase leading to the Gryffindor common room.

"You sure look happy," Ron said sarcastically.

"Lavender and Parvati woke me up by trying to choke me with hairspray."

"Well cheer up. Today's going to be an interesting day." Harry smiled at her.

"Interesting? We're missing classes yet again today!" she shouted, putting her hands on her hips. "They can't just keep doing this just so we can concentrate on Quidditch all day! This is a school, we're supposed to be learning as much as we can!"

"The IIQT is a once in a lifetime event!" Ron argued.

"And you only have once chance to go through school! We're Sixth Years now, Ron. It's going to be very difficult and all that the whole damn school cares about is Quidditch!"

"Alright, alright, we get it!" Harry said. "Stop shouting in my ear!"

"None of the Hufflepuffs made the Hogwarts team. No surprise there," Ron said, mostly to Harry.

Hermione said, "What I don't understand is how they expect the entire team to all get along."

"What do you mean, Mione?" Ron asked.

"If you haven't noticed, there are two _Slytherins_ on the team."

"Yeah, but there are _three_ Gryffindors," Harry said. "And the two Ravenclaws are neutral, so we have the upper hand."

"You do realize _Malfoy_ is one of those Slytherins, don't you?"

"As long as he keeps his big mouth shut, everything will be fine." he pushed up his glasses.

"And what are the chances of that happening?"

"I'll… I'll figure something out," Harry said with uncertainty.

"Let's just go to breakfast," Ron suggested when his stomach grumbled.

The Golden Trio walked to the Great Hall together, laughing at Ron's impersonation of Zacharias Smith at the Quidditch tryouts. When they reached their destination, Ron pulled open one of the double doors. None of them moved.

"Merlin's balls!" Ron shouted. "Why are there so many tables?!"

The Great Hall was enchanted to be five times its normal size, and instead of four tables, there were now fourteen. Beautiful decorations were everywhere and it seemed like the professors had pulled out all the stops in order to impress the visiting schools. For once, Hogwarts Castle actually looked like a castle rather than a school. The students who were already in the Great Hall were looking around in awe and approval.

"For the other schools, obviously," Hermione said.

"How many students are going to come here, exactly?!" Ron said. "We didn't need any extra tables for the Triwizard Tournament."

"That was only two schools, not ten," Harry said.

"Which one's the Gryffindor table then?" Ron asked.

"That one." Harry pointed to a table in the middle of the hall where a few students wearing red were already sitting. "All our house tables are still in the same place as before. They just put five more tables on each side."

As they sat down at the table, Ron looked around and frowned. "Where's all the food?"

"It's rude to eat when your guests haven't arrived yet," Hermione said.

"We have to wait for _all_ the schools to come?"

"Yes, I suppose."

"But I'm hungry now!"

"Stop being so childish, Ronald."

Just then, an elderly woman approached them quickly. She was wearing the best set of robes that she owned.

"You three! Please, no more of your silly antics. I need you to be on your best behavior this year. We want Hogwarts to have a good reputation amongst the other schools." Professor McGonagall said before taking her seat at the head table, which had been extended to fit professors from the other schools.

"Why did she only say that to us?" Ron questioned.

"Because we're _us_," Harry said.

"So did you sign up for the guide program?" Ron asked Hermione.

Hermione nodded and said, "Yes, I did. I want to learn more about other magic schools."

"I should've guessed," the redhead said. "She's doing it for research."

"Well I have a better reason than Lavender and Parvati. They're hoping that they'll get paired up with cute boys."

"So what do you have to do as a guide anyway?"

"Well, we each get randomly paired up with one student and we show them around the castle. They also attend the same classes as their guide for a week, just so they know what it's like here."

"Sounds boring." Ron yawned. "All I'm interested in is the Quidditch."

"Of course." Hermione rolled her eyes.

Within a matter of minutes, the Great Hall was filled with students. Everybody was extremely eager, and noticeably looking their best. Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass walked in with their arms linked, heavy makeup caked onto their faces. Everywhere Hermione looked, skirts were shorter, hair was neater and nails were perfectly manicured. Even the boys had tidied up for the special occasion. Hermione examined her own dirty nails and frowned. Maybe she should have put some makeup on…

Draco, Blaise and Theodore were the last students to enter the hall. Draco looked as he did any other day: confident and annoyingly sexy. He caught Hermione's eye for a second before sitting down at the Slytherin table. Blaise, being the observant boy he was, caught his and a small smirk grew on his lips. After a very long speech from Professor Dumbledore, he announced that the other schools had arrived and were waiting in front of the Great Hall. Everybody whispered in excitement. Once everybody had quieted down, Dumbledore introduced the first school, Hong Long Institute. The room was filled with loud applause as the doors opened and very large group of Chinese students dressed in red and gold uniform situated themselves on one of the empty tables. Their headmaster, an old man with a walking cane, greeted Dumbledore warmly before sitting at the Head Table. One by one, each school entered in the same way and the Great Hall was quickly filled up.

"And last but not least, The Rinascimento Academy of Sorcery!" Dumbledore finished. There was thunderous applause, mostly from the girls, as the students from the Italian school sat down at the last unoccupied table in the hall. Hermione's eyes fell on a very attractive boy who looked slightly like Blaise Zabini. He had brown hair, dark blue eyes and bronze skin. His cheeks were hollow and he had a chiseled jaw. He must've noticed her staring, because he looked straight and her and smiled charmingly. Hermione blushed and quickly looked away.

"Stop it, Hermione!" she whispered to herself. "Stop being such a… girl?"

The feast soon began, but most students were too busy staring at students from other schools. There was an array of colors, from Diederich's School for Wizards' forest green to The Salem Witches Institute's baby pink. Students began to introduce themselves to students from other schools, mingling instead of eating.

Blaise was barely paying attention to his food. He was watching the table of Rinascimento students with great interest.

"I'm going over to introduce myself," Blaise said to Draco and Theodore.

"Why?" Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Mate, maybe you don't understand. There are other Italians here. _Real_ Italians!"

"You see Italian people all the time," Theodore said.

"Not at school! Look, I'll be right back. Got to meet up with my people!" Blaise left the Slytherin table.

"Five galleons say he's going to get a date with some Italian chick in the next twenty minutes," Theo said to his blond friend.

"I say fifteen." Draco took a sip of his pumpkin juice.

"There's Daphne," Theo breathed. The Slytherin girl with dirty blonde hair was chatting with Pansy Parkinson, and the two giggling as they stared at the Rinascimento boys.

"Go talk to her then," Draco suggested, not hiding the boredom in his voice.

"What do I say?" Theo asked.

"You're bloody hopeless, Theo!" Draco snarled. "Remind me why I'm friends with you again?"

"Because I am one of the only people in this world who can put up with your crap," Theodore reminded him.

"Go tell her she looks pretty or something."

"She does look pretty doesn't she?" Theo smiled to himself. Then, he frowned and turned to Draco. "You're not into her, are you?"

"No," Draco said honestly.

"Good. Don't you dare make a move on her." Theo got up and approached Daphne.

"Been there, done that." Draco muttered when Theo was out of earshot.

Soon two people walked towards him; one was Blaise and the other was a Rinascimento student.

"This is Raffael Moretti," Blaise introduced the taller Italian boy to Draco.

"Draco Malfoy." he held out his hand and Raffael shook it briefly.

"We just found out we're related," Blaise said.

"Really now?"

"Yeah, he's my cousin on my dad's side. My real dad. My mom told me I had relatives in Rinascimento, but I didn't think I'd actually _meet_ them."

"It's nice to meet you, Draco," Raffael said in a strong Italian accent. "The son of Lucius Malfoy, the richest man in Europe. Sorry to hear he was sent to Azkaban. Great man, I think he was. Very unfortunate that he followed You-Know-Who."

Draco twitched slightly when he heard his father's name, but he regained his composure quickly.

Raffael sensed the following awkwardness and cleared his throat. He said, "I'm going to go, I have to find my guide…"

"Oh yeah, go ahead," Blaise said. Raffael joined the large group of people gathering in the middle of the Great Hall, frantically looking for their assigned partners.

"I've never met any of my dad's relatives before…" Blaise turned to Draco. "I'm better looking than him, right?"

"You egotistical wanker!" the blond boy laughed.

Hermione scanned the enormous crowd of Rinascimento students and sighed. All the Hogwarts students who had signed up for the guide program had been given a piece of parchment that said the name of their partner. She saw the boy who had smiled at her earlier and tapped his shoulder.

"Excuse me, do you know Raffael Moretti?" Hermione asked.

"_Ciao, bella._ I am Raffael Moretti." he took her hand gently and kissed it. Hermione instantly turned red. _He_ was assigned to her? This was going to be an interesting week…


End file.
